Realism has remained the mainstream of Chinese cinema. In the
climax of film-making that rose up in the mid-1980s, realistic
works reached a high level of creativity in their depiction of
life, varied subject matters, styles and forms, and in the
exploration and innovation of cinematic language. The
"fifth-generation" directors, including Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and
Huang Jianxin, rose to fame during this period, becoming
international celebrities of cinema.
The late 1990s saw the emergence a "sixth-generation" wave of
directors, including Wang Xiaoshuai, Zhang Yuan and Lou Ye, who
were mostly born in the 1960s and 1970s. Their movies reveal the
lives of ordinary people's life in a realistic fashion. Feng
Xiaogang has made box office records with his commercial movies,
most of which tell stories of ordinary people.
The Changchun and Shanghai international film festivals are
annual events, attracting both Chinese and foreign movie-makers.
The "Golden Rooster" is the top prize for Chinese movies. The
government has specially established the "Ornamental Pillar Award"
to encourage the development of mainstream movies. The "Hundred
Flowers Prize" is awarded on the basis of audience votes.
